Feeling the Fall of Lance Armstrong
By Garret Kramer,
Author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life

The masses are taking shots at reviled cyclist Lance Armstrong.
If you want to jump on the bandwagon, that's your business.
Although if you do, you're falling into the same trap that he did.
You're misunderstanding or trying to fight through your own
feelings about something (in this case, Armstrong's actions) --
which is never helpful.

By contrast, here's how the Armstrong saga looks to me:
Armstrong claimed that, at the time, he didn't feel bad about
using performance-enhancing drugs or running roughshod over others
to win seven straight Tour de France titles. That's impossible.
Feelings don't work that way. Errant behavior (including judging
others) is always the result of a person doing something in spite
of feelings that are telling him or her: "You know better!"

In other words, Armstrong simply didn't (or doesn't) grasp the
purpose of feelings. He believed that the off feeling in his gut
was a sign to wage war. So he did just that -- and you know the
rest.

What human beings feel is the up and down nature of our
thinking. What we don't feel is the up and down nature of our
circumstances. When Armstrong felt insecure -- and we all do at
times -- he wasn't feeling his cycling career or those around him.
He was feeling his temporarily insecure thoughts. When he looked
outside to explain and fix these feelings through drugs, coercion,
or any means, he was bound to find trouble. He was looking in the
wrong place.

Don't misunderstand; I'm not condoning Armstrong's behavior. I'm
explaining it. He's not evil; he's not a terrible guy. In fact,
he's no different than you or me. Our feelings are an inborn
barometer of whether or not our thinking is productive in the
moment. When you work against this inborn barometer, confusion
sets in. Act from confusion -- you're toast. Think about it: Are
the mistakes you've made in your own life about the situations you
encountered, or your feelings and mindset when you encountered the
situations? I know the answer.

That's why if Armstrong wants to learn from what he did,
examining what he did won't help. Rather, he should examine the
feeling state from which he acted. The same goes for you and me.
All of our sensory experiences come directly from our thinking.
And the nature of our thinking is always bound to improve. Unless,
that is, we make circumstantial excuses for it.

Consider this different take on Armstrong: Based on what he
understood to be the source of his feelings, he was actually doing
what made sense to him at the time. Armstrong believed he was
feeling the world around him. This, alas, is the biggest error a
human being can make.

And, again, if you're one of those who's taking shots at him
these days. You're looking outward to justify your feelings, so
you've become a victim of circumstance, too. Look inside -- your
answers, and Armstrong's, always rest there.

Author BioGarret Kramer is the founder of Inner Sports, LLC. He has
provided consulting and/or crisis management services to hundreds
of athletes, coaches, and business leaders; from well known
professionals, Olympians, and teams, to high school and collegiate
players across a multitude of sports. A former collegiate ice
hockey player, Garret is credited with bringing the principles of
Mind, Consciousness, and Thought to the athletic community at
large. Garret often lectures on topics related to the states of
mind that lead to success on and off the playing field. He has
been featured on or in: WFAN, ESPN, WOR, FOX, NPR, The New
York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and
Forbes. Garret Kramer is the author of the book, Stillpower:
Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life.